how to improve patient portal

Patient Portal Optimization Empower Patients as Partners in Health Care

1. Recognize how the patient portal can benefit both patients and physicians
2. Describe the full breadth of patient portal functionalities at your institution
3. Identify specific ways to effectively use the patient portal in your practice

Full Answer

Do patient portals improve clinical outcomes?

Jan 19, 2021 · Education and encouragement will increase enrollment in your patient portal. Ease of use and English and Spanish language options will also attract patients. To maintain the urgency to enroll, set up a game, contest, or drawing with prizes to encourage patients to use the portal. Preserve the patient/provider relationship

What is a portal and why do you need one?

May 06, 2020 · Identifying the barriers to adoption is the first step toward crafting strategies improving patient portal use. The second is adopting strategies to overcome those challenges. Here are the top three: Send portal invitations via text message Texting has become one of the most widely used forms of communication — even among older adults.

How do patients sign up for a patient portal?

May 13, 2016 · Providers must understand which patient populations are and are not likely to utilize the patient portal. By identifying populations with lower adoption rates, providers can target their engagement strategies to encourage portal adoption, helping them to deliver better care to their patients in the long-run.

How can providers improve portal adoption?

Education and encouragement will increase enrollment in your patient portal. Ease of use and English and Spanish language options will also attract patients. To maintain the urgency to enroll, set up a game, contest, or drawing with prizes to encourage patients to use the portal. Preserve the patient/provider relationship

How would you encourage patients to use patient portal?

Here are nine ways to improve patient portal engagement.Enroll at the first appointment. ... Auto-enroll to schedule online appointments. ... Include a link to the portal when patients sign in. ... Link your portal sign up on all correspondence. ... Optimize for desktop and mobile. ... Empower all staff to sign patients up. ... Offer incentives.More items...•Aug 12, 2019

How do I increase patient portal adoption?

How to Improve Patient Portal Adoption, Registration RatesConduct patient outreach, education.Considering hard-to-reach populations.Using the patient portal in public health efforts.Jan 27, 2021

Why is the patient portal a good tool for patient engagement?

Background. Engaging patients in the delivery of health care has the potential to improve health outcomes and patient satisfaction. Patient portals may enhance patient engagement by enabling patients to access their electronic medical records (EMRs) and facilitating secure patient-provider communication.

Can you hear me now a patient portal initiative program to increase patient engagement in an outpatient primary care setting?

The portal initiative program increased patient portal registration by 70% during the eight- week timeline. Using the PHE-5 scale as a metric, an increase in patient engagement of 60% was found, as three of the five scales showed an increase in engagement.Apr 21, 2021

Send portal invitations via text message

Texting has become one of the most widely used forms of communication — even among older adults. It is fast, efficient, and inexpensive. And it has an impressive reach, with as many as 98 percent of text messages read within three minutes of receipt.

Provide in-person help with portal activation

Even for young, tech savvy patients, a little help enrolling in the patient portal goes a long way.

Offer patient portal education

One reason patients may not want to engage with portals is lack of understanding in how to use them. Just as healthcare systems and physicians are more likely to adopt the EHR when trained and educated, patients may also be more likely to activate and use portals with instruction and educational resources.

WELL improves portal enrollment

Whether your goal is to provide another channel for secure messaging, improve access to patient data, or offer virtual care, WELL can help coordinate patient portal enrollment. ♥

Conduct patient outreach, education

Fundamental to getting patients to register for the patient portal is telling them about it. Discussing patient portal signup during an in-person or virtual healthcare visit is a key step to improving sign-up rates.

Considering hard-to-reach populations

For some populations, patient portal outreach may require variable approaches. Some patients may benefit from their clinician walking them through the sign-up process, while others may need instructions in a language that is not English.

Using the patient portal in public health efforts

It is undeniable that the patient portal has seen a critical use case in the COVID-19 pandemic. At the start of the pandemic, healthcare organizations leveraged the tool to give patients some information about the virus and how they can keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

Why are patient portals important?

Research shows that when patients are able to see their own health data, they gain ownership of their own wellness and are better prepared to interact with their providers about their care.

Why do providers use patient portals?

This is mainly because providers are trying to build a relationship with their patients, not just bolster patient loyalty. For many providers, patient portal use is about building trust and enhancing care.

How to Improve Patient Portal Engagement

The more patients understand the value of a patient engagement solution, the more likely they will embrace it. If they receive instructions—simple and straightforward—they’ll see the benefits. Equal to patient education is getting providers and staff familiar with the benefits and share them with their patients.

Answer their questions

Being prepared to answer patients’ questions is the beginning of a successful patient portal marketing campaign. Share these answers to basic questions with your patients via email, text, or website.

Educate and Encourage

Education and encouragement will increase enrollment in your patient portal. Ease of use and English and Spanish language options will also attract patients. To maintain the urgency to enroll, set up a game, contest, or drawing with prizes to encourage patients to use the portal.

Summary

Giving patients the tools to manage their care frees staff time and helps reduce administrative tasks. Most of all, you can continue to nurture the component that keeps your practice going forward—the relationship between providers and patients.

Conduct Patient Outreach, Education

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Considering Hard-To-Reach Populations

Using The Patient Portal in Public Health Efforts